Adjustable bobbin holder or gripper spring device for loom shuttles



Apnl 9, 1957 A. D. BOUSQUET ADJUSTABLE BOBBIN HOLDER OR GRIPPER SPRING DEVICE F OR LOOM SHUTTLES Filed June a 1956 INVENTOR- ARMA ND D. BOLJSQUET -.mlmInmnulilmlmmumnw ADJUSTABLE BOBBIN HOLDER R GRIPPER SPRING DEVICE FOR LOOM SHUTTLES Armand D. Bousquet, Woonsocket, R. 1.

Application June 8, 1956, Serial No. 590,169

8 Claims. (Cl. 139-207) This invention, in general, relates to loom shuttles, and more particularly to means for holding a bobbin within a shuttle. More especially it has to do with a novel adjustable bobbin holder or gripper spring device mounted within the loom shuttle.

In the types of shuttles used in automatic looms, and more particularly those of the weft or filling replenishing type, a forked bobbin gripper spring having a pair of spaced grooved gripping jaws is employed in one end portion of the central bobbin-receiving opening or chamber of such loom shuttles to engage the usual rings at the butt end of a bobbin transferred into the shuttle and hold the bobbin in place in the bobbin-receiving opening until ejected by transfer of a newbobbin therein. This gripper spring device usually has no adjustment means for correcting a bobbin which is out of line or improperly centered in between the shuttle walls so that there is no way of correcting for such adverse conditions resulting from the improper alignment of the bobbin tip which causes the filling thread as it is drawn off the bobbin end to balloon unevenly between the shuttle walls or to jump out of the shuttle eye.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide in a shuttle of the weft replenishing type an improved bobbin holder or gripper spring device embodying novel and practical means for readily and easily adjusting the bobbin gripping spring member without the necessity of dismantling or bending the same so that the free end of a bobbin gripped in the spring jaws may be correctly aligned and assured for proper feeding of the filling yarn from the bobbin to the threading block, and when so set will be securely maintained in such adjusted position that the relation between the parts will not be disturbed during weaving operations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide, in a loom shuttle, a device of the character aforesaid, which may be inexpensively made, and which will be simple, yet eflicient, in its action.

The nature of the present invention and the novel features thereof will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating the bobbin holding end of a loom shuttle provided with a bobbin holder or gripper spring device embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 2--2 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows but showing the terminal end portion in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail top plan view of the bobbin gripper spring member shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the bobbin directing grip strap for the gripper spring member shown in Figs. 1 and 4;

nit cd States Patent 9 F 2,788,024 Patented Apr. 9, 1957 Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the bobbin directing grip strap illustrated in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bobbin holding end of a shuttle with the bobbin gripper spring and the bobbin directing grip strap shown in disassembled relation.

Referring to the drawing, as there shown, the shuttle may be constructed as usual and comprises a shuttle body it) having a central bobbin receiving opening or chamber 11 therein in which a bobbin 12 which carries the weft or filling yarn laid into the cloth by the shuttle, is located and supported by a bobbin gripper spring device generally designated by the reference numeral 13 and constructed in accordance with the present invention. The thread delivery end (not shown) of the shuttle and the threading device (not shown) usually mounted therein may be of any preferred construction.

The bobbin gripper spring device 13 releasably holds the butt portion 14 of the bobbin 12 and, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, comprises a bifurcated spring member having a block-like shank portion 15 to which the jaws 17 are connected by the outwardly flaring portions 16. The shank portion 15 is provided with a central vertical slotted opening 1% therethrough and with a suitably threaded hole 19 extending in a direction transversely through the body of the shank into which is screwed the inner ends of two adjusting screws 20 and 21, one screw from one side of the shuttle and one from the other side of the shuttle, for anchoring the bobbin gripper spring 13 in the body portion of the shuttle. The shank portion 15 of the spring fits snugly in a slot 22 of the shuttle, as usual, and the spaced jaws 17 lie within the bobbin receiving opening 11 of the shuttle.

The shank portion 15 of the bobbin gripper spring device 13 is secured by means of a cooperating bobbin directing grip strap or guard generally designated 24 which has a horizontally extending bottom plate portion 25 that rests upon the bottom wall of the shuttle, and the plate 25 forms a base upon which the spring 13 is seated. The grip strap 24 has an integral horizontally extending top plate portion 26, the underface of which engages and grips the top face of the shank portion 15 of the bobbin gripper spring 13. The top plate 26 of the grip strap 24 is connected to the bottom plate 25 thereof at the end toward the shuttle cavity (see Fig. 2), by the usual inclined wall portion 27 for guiding or directing the butt portion 14 of the bobbin 12 to the proper position within the shuttle so that the usual rings provided on the butt end 14 of the bobbin 12 will be gripped by the grooves 28 provided in the opposed inside faces of the spaced spring jaws 17 of the bobbin gripper spring 13.

As shown in Fig. 5, portions of the bottom plate 25, adjacent to the base of the inclined wall portion 27, project outwardly to form the ears as and 31 at opposite sides of the bottom plate portion of the grip strap 24 whereby these cars may be engaged by the lower ends of two adjusting screws 32 and 33 (see Fig. l) threadingly mounted in the lugs 34 and 35 respectively integral with the spring jaws 1'7 and projecting from the inside faces thereof.

The grip strap 24 has a suitable aperture in the top plate 26 for a through bolt 37 that extends vertically downwardly therefrom entirely through the slot 18 in shank 15 of the spring 13 and has its head bearing upon the top plate 26 and its lower end screwed into a nut 38 embedded in the bottom face of the body of the shuttle it), this bolt serving to secure the grip strap to the body of the shuttle over the spring 13 and also to anchor the gripper spring rigidly against accidental longitudinal displacement in the shuttle body. Threadingly mounted in the end of the shank block 15 of the gripper spring 13 is a socket head adjusting screw 40 for pivotally adjusting both adjusting screws 32. and 33. The adjustingscrew 46 is of such length that its head portion 41 willengage the lower face of the horizontally extending top plate portion 26 of the grip strap 24 while the bottom end of this screw bears against the upper face of the horizontally extending bottom plate portion 25 of the grip strap. This condition holds throughout on vertical tilting of the grip strap until the top or bottom parts of the shank engage either of the inner faces of the plate portions 26 and 25 respectively of the grip strap 24. The top plate portion 26 of. the grip strap 24 is further provided with a suitable aperture 43 through which a hexagonal wrench of proper size may be inserted into the correspondingly shaped socket in the head 4i of the adjusting screw it Lock screws 44, 45 and 46 are provided to secure the screws 20, 21 and 37 in their adjusted settings. The lock. screws 44 and 45 have vertical adjustment in suitable threaded holes 47 and 43 appropriately positioned with respect to the screws and 21 and have their heads accessible through suitable apertures 59 and 51 for adjustment of the screws 44 and 45 by a suitable hexagonal wrench. The adjusted setting of the adjusting screw 40 is maintained by means of a lock screw 53 which has vertical adjustment in a threaded hole 54 of proper size in the outer end of a forward projection 55 integral withthe shank 15 of the spring 13 and extending forwardly midway between the spaced spring jaws 17.

The manner of use of the invention as above described is as follows:

If, either initially or in the course of time, it is found that the axis of the bobbin 12 is out of alignment with the usual threading block (not shown) employed in the other end of the shuttle, it is only necessary forthe purpose of adjusting the alignment of the bobbin, to make either single or combined adjustments of any of the individual adjusting screws 20, 21, 37 and 40, a the conditions may require. For example, if the ballooning thread strikes one of the sides of the bobbin receiving opening or chamber 11 of the shuttle this condition may be corrected either by adjusting one of the screws 32 and 33, Whichever one is disposed at the particular shuttle side contacted by the ballooning thread, such screw being appropriately turned by a suitable socket wrench so as to raise the associated spring jaw 17 to deflect the axis of the bobbin sufficiently to produce proper clearance for the ballooning thread. If, however, this condition is an aggravated one, correction is possible by loosening the one of the screws 20 or 25, disposed on the side of the shuttle against which the ballooning thread engages, and tightening up on the other screw, thereby swinging the bobbin gripper spring 13 bodily either to the right or left about screw 37 as a pivot so as to properly center the axis of the bobbin E2 in alignment with the threading block of the shuttle.

If the dilliculty is one in which the thread jumps out of the shuttle box, then this condition can be corrected by angularly adjusting up and down the bobbin gripper spring 13 by means of the adjusting screw 40. When all the necessary adjustments have been made the adjusting screws 20, 21, 37 and 40, as the case may be, then are locked in their respective settings by means of the lock screws 44, 45, 46 and 53 respectively.

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that other modifications may be developed without departing from the scopetof my invention, and it is therefore my intention not to limit my invention in any manner whatsoever except by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom'shuttle of the weft replenishing type having a body formed with a bobbin receiving opening, a

bifurcated bobbin gripper spring mounted therein com"- prising a shank portion and projecting spring jaws, a grip,

strap having top and bottom portions embracing the shank of said gripper spring, means for adjusting the position of said spring jaws laterally relative to the sides of the bobbin receiving opening, means for angularly adjusting the gripper spring up and down about said firstnamed adjusting means asa pivot for adjusting the axis of the bobbin in horizontal alignment with the shuttle, and means associated'withrthe spring jaws adapted to angularly raise them individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate the. axis of the bobbin to proper position in its opening in the shuttle body.

2. In a loom shuttle of'the weft replenishing type having a body formed witha bobbin receiving opening, a bifurcated bobbin gripper spring mounted therein comprising a shank portion and a pair of opposed spring jaws, a grip strap having top and bottom portions embracing the shank portion of. the. gripper spring, a vertically disposed through bolt by which the shank of the gripper spring is secured in the shuttle'body, means for adjusting theposition of said gripper spring jaws laterally rela tive to the sides of the bobbin receiving opening comprising twoadjusting screws extending through opposite sides of the shuttle body and into threaded openings in said shank sides, means for angularly adjusting the gripper spring up and down about the above-named adjusting screws as a pivot for adjusting the axis of the bobbin in horizontal alignment with the shuttle, and screw means adjustably associatedwith the spring jaws adapted to angularly raise them individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate-the axis of the bobbin to proper position in its chamberin the shuttle body.

3. In a loom shuttle of the. weft replenishing type havinga body formed with a bobbin receiving opening, a bifurcated bobbin gripper spring mounted therein comprising a shank portion and a pair of opposed spring jaws, a gripstrap having top and bottom portions embracing the shank portion of thezgripper. spring, a vertically disposed through bolt by which the shank of the gripper spring is seeured'in'thc shuttle body, means for adjusting the position of said gripper spring jaw laterally relative to the sides of the bobbin receiving opening comprising two adjusting screws extending through opposite sides of the shuttle body and into threaded openings in said shank sides, means for angularly adjusting the gripper spring up and down about the above'narncd adjusting screws as a pivot for adjusting the axis of the bobbin in horizontal alignment with the shuttle, screw means adjustably associated with the spring jaws adapted to angularly raise them individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate the axis of the bobbin to proper position in its chamber in the shuttle body, and locking means individual with each of the afore ientioned adjustment means movably arranged to engage and hold the latter in their adjusted positions.

4. In a loom shuttle of the Weft replenishing type hav ing a body formed with a bobbin receiving opening, a bifurcated bobbin gripper spring mounted therein comprising a shank portion and a pair of opposed spring jaws, a grip strap having top and bottom portions embracing the shank portion of the gripper spring, a vertically disposed through bolt by which the shank of the gripper spring is secured in the shuttle body, means for adjusting the position of said gripper spring jaws laterally relative to the sides of the bobbin receiving opening comprising two adjusting screws extending through opposite sides of the shuttle body and into threaded openings in said shank sides, screw means adjustably mounted in said gripper spring shank and in'engagement with the top and bottom portions of said grip strap for angularly adjusting the gripper spring up'and down about thcabove-named adjusting screws as a pivot for adjusting the axis of the bobbin inhorizontalalignment'with the shuttle, and screw meansadjustablyassociated withthe spring jaws adapted to angularly raise them individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate the axis of the bobbin to proper position in its chamber in the shuttle body.

5. In a loom shuttle of the weft replenishing type having a body formed with a bobbin receiving opening, a bifurcated bobbin gripper spring mounted therein comprising a shank portion and a pair of opposed spring jaws, a grip strap having top and bottom portions embracing the shank portion of the gripper spring, a vertically disposed through bolt by which the shank of the gripper spring is secured in the shuttle body, means for adjusting the position of said gripper spring jaws laterally relative to the sides of the bobbin receiving opening comprising two adjusting screws extending through opposite sides of the shuttle body and into threaded openings in said shank sides, screw means adjustably mounted in said gripper spring shank and in engagement with the top and bottom portions of said grip strap for angularly adjusting the gripper spring up and down about the above-named adjusting screws as a pivot for adjusting the axis of the bobbin in horizontal alignment with the shuttle, screw means adjustably associated with the spring jaws adapted to angularly raise them individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate the axis of the bobbin to proper position in its chamber in the shuttle body, and locking means individual with each of the aforementioned adjustment means movably arranged to engage and hold the latter in their adjusted positions.

6. A loom shuttle of the weft replenishing type having, in combination, a body portion provided with a chamber to receive a bobbin and a shank receiving recess in one end of said chamber, a bobbin holder comprising a bifurcated bobbin gripper spring having a block-like shank portion mounted in said recess in the shuttle body and a pair of opposed spring jaws integral with said shank portion projecting outwardly therefrom into said bobbin receiving chamber, opposed lugs integral with and projecting laterally from the inside faces of said jaws, a bobbin directing grip strap having top and bottom plate portions embracing said shank portion of the gripper spring, ears projecting laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the bottom plate portion of said grip strap, adjusting screws threadingly mounted in said lugs and adapted, when adjusted separately, to hear at their respective bottom ends against said grip strap ears to angularly raise the spring jaws individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate the axis of the bobbin in its chamber in the shuttle body to proper position, an adjusting screw vertically mounted in the shank portion of the gripper spring and adapted, when adjusted, to angularly shift the gripper spring bodily thereby up and down for adjusting the axis of the bobbin in horizontal alignment with the shuttle, two adjusting screws disposed transversely of the gripper spring shank from opposite sides thereof and threadingly mounted therein and adapted, when adjusted, to shift the gripper spring bodily transversely of the shuttle for adjusting the axis of the bobbin laterally of the bobbin chamber, and locking means individual with each of said adjusting screws movably arranged to engage and hold said screws in their adjusted settings.

7. A loom shuttle of the weft replenishing type having, in combination, a body portion provided with a chamber to receive a bobbin and a shank receiving recess in one end of said chamber, a bobbin holder comprising a bifurcated bobbin gripper spring having a block-like shank portion mounted in said recess in the shuttle body and a pair of opposed spring jaws integral with said shank portion projecting outwardly therefrom into said bobbin receiving chamber, opposed lugs integral with and projecting laterally from the inside faces of said jaws, a bobbin directing grip strap having top and bottom plate portions embracing said shank portion of the gripper spring, ears projecting laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the bottom plate portion of said grip strap, adjusting screws threadingly mounted in said lugs and adapted, when adjusted separately, to hear at their respective bottom ends against said grip strap ears to angularly raise the spring jaws individually thereby to obliquely shift and simultaneously elevate the axis of the bobbin in its chamber in the shuttle body to proper position, an adjusting screw vertically mounted in the shank portion of the gripper spring and adapted, when adjusted, to angularly shift the gripper spring bodily thereby up and down for adjusting the axis of the bobbin in horizontal alignment with the shuttle, two adjusting screws disposed transversely of the gripper spring shank from opposite sides thereof and threadingly mounted therein and adapted, when adjusted, to shift the gripper spring bodily transversely of the shuttle for adjusting the axis of the bobbin laterally of the bobbin chamber, and lock screws individual with each of said adjusting screws and threadingly mounted in the shank of said gripper spring in locations proximate to said screws for engaging and securing said screws in their adjusted positions.

8. A loom shuttle as claimed in claim 7 in which the top plate portion of the grip strap is provided with a plurality of holes one of which is aligned with the head of the screw vertically adjustable in the shank of the gripper spring and the others aligned with beads of all of the vertically movable lock screws, said holes affording access to the heads of the respective screws for adjusting the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 851,647 Bracken Apr. 30, 1907 996,296 Stimpson June 27, 1911 1,324,991 Arico Dec. 16, 1919 1,892,387 Douglas Dec. 27, 1932 2,537,140 Kaufman Jan. 9, 1951 

